Reckoning: A Fallen Siren Novel (8 page)

Twenty minutes later, the custody of Sylvia’s laptop has safely been transferred to Billings. The computer was, as we suspected, out of power. He’s working on Julie’s now. It will be a while before he’s able to turn his attention to Sylvia’s.

Meanwhile, Zack and I decide to grab some lunch. Zack is a carnivore through and through and the burgers at Hodad’s are his favorite. Mine, too. Miraculously, we score a parking spot right across the street. I feed the meter as Zack dashes to get a place in line for a table. “We’re already next for a table?” I ask Zack as I join him. The line has moved fast and is uncharacteristically short.

He pulls out his phone and checks the time. “I didn’t realize it was so late. Looks like we missed the big rush.” Just as he’s placing it back in his pocket, it rings. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this. Order me the usual?”

He steps back outside to take the call. I follow the hostess to a table by the window.

It’s midafternoon so we have no trouble getting a nice spot by the window. A tall, willowy redhead appears out of nowhere.

“I’m Candy.” She drops napkins, silverware, and straws on the table.

“I know. You wait on us all the time.”

“Right, you and your . . . boyfriend?”

I shake my head.

“Husband?”

“Partner,” I inform her. “Strictly business.”

Her already high-wattage smile goes up another notch.

I place our orders—double bacon cheeseburger, rare, for Zack; cheeseburger, medium, for me. A large basket of fries. Two Cokes.

When Zack makes his entrance, Candy’s isn’t the only head to turn. He’s the best-looking man in the place and completely oblivious.

“A smile?” He slips into the seat opposite me. “Haven’t seen you wearing one of those in a while. What’s the occasion?”

“You amuse me.”

“Glad to be of service.”

“You have no idea, do you?”

“About?”

I lean forward. “The effect you have on women. The blonde at the beach yesterday? Candy?”
Me?

“Who’s Candy?”

Right on cue, she arrives with our fries and drinks. “Your burgers will be coming right up.”

“She would be the young lady who just slipped you her number.”

“Huh?”

I tap the edge of the napkin his drink is on. “And you call yourself a special agent.”

Zack reaches for the ketchup. “Candy evidently thinks I’m special.”

I beat him to it. “Better let me do that. You’re wearing a white shirt again.”

“Very funny.”

I squeeze a pool into the basket and we begin dipping the hot, crispy fries into it. Suddenly I’m starving. “I just realized I got distracted and missed breakfast this morning,” I volunteer, licking the salt from my fingertips.

Zack holds up his hands. “Please, spare me the details of your sex life with the King of Darkness. My burger should be coming any minute. I want to enjoy it.”

“I missed breakfast because Kal and I were talking. As in having a conversation.”

“How progressive of him.”

I lean forward. “Why do you dislike him so?”

Zack shakes his head. “It’s none of my business.”

“Yet you can’t seem to leave it alone. Out with it.”

Zack snaps his fingers. “Here’s Candy.” He holds out his hand and takes his plate. In a minute, he’s bitten off a mouthful of burger.

I stare at him. The chance to get him to say any more is gone. I settle for raising my own burger to my lips. For the next five minutes Zack is preoccupied with the monstrosity that’s his lunch, me with the lack of progress on our case.

When we’ve finished and the plates are cleared away, Zack and I sit back, nursing our drinks.

“Is any of this coming together for you?” I ask him.

He takes one last slurp. “Not really. Things don’t quite fit. I think by now we can say with certainty these are not
kidnappings for ransom. Abductions, yes. But what’s the motive?”

“Well, we have a definite type. Blond, blue-eyed, pretty. The school connects them all. Scholarships. Hannah and Sylvia are cheerleaders. The school trip.” I pause. “Did Julie go on that trip, I wonder?”

“Probably not,” Zack grunts. “She’s older than Hannah and Sylvia and a senior.”

I nod. “And her parents didn’t mention it.”

“No. They were too busy going off on Rain.” He pauses. “The other connecting factor is the money. They were getting payments from someone.” He pulls his cell from his pocket. “I’m going to put in a call to the Ocean Beach PD and see if they know anything about the missing computer. I’d like to know if they tried to track it and why it wasn’t in the report.”

He’s got all the local police departments in his cell’s contact list and as he’s scrolling for the right one, I glance toward the window. A dark-haired, tree trunk of a man stands outside on the sidewalk across the street. He’s built like a wrestler—square, heavy chest, thick thighs. At first, I think the guy is just checking out the restaurant.

But as he crosses to approach the door, Zack’s head suddenly snaps up. A low growl escapes his throat as he slaps his cell on the table. “Un-fucking-believable.”

His eyes flash. It’s obvious who has him so suddenly riled.

“You know him?”

Zack doesn’t answer. His eyes are glued to man as he walks past the window we’re seated in front of and into the restaurant. After weaving his way through the line, he
swaggers toward us, exuding badass power. Zack repositions his chair away from the table, back to the window. He doesn’t want the table between him—and anything.

I’m instantly on alert. I recognize the man for what he is, a werewolf. A pissed-off werewolf. Zack’s hand edges toward the butt of his gun. The instinctual tell is enough to set me even more on edge. My heart races. My pulse quickens. I slowly draw my weapon. Gun hidden underneath the table, I track the wolf’s movements.

By the time he reaches us, Zack appears once more composed and in control. His projected sense of calm does me wonders.

That and knowing I have enough firepower to blow a nice big hole in the Were’s stomach.

When Zack greets him, his expression is neutral. “Asa.”

Asa? My thoughts spin back a few months, to when Sarah first arrived. She was running away from her pack master in South Carolina. A vicious predator. How did Zack describe him?
Asa
Wade is the worst kind of wolf.

Wade’s face is leathery from sun and wind. His sharp jawline is further accentuated by a neatly trimmed Van Dyke beard. His most dramatic feature, however, is his eyes. Wide-set, they are the color of a stormy sky, neither blue nor gray. And they’re fixed on me.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me, Armstrong?”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Zack answers, his voice steady and strong. “You are not welcome here.”

Asa grabs an empty chair and parks himself at the end of the table. “You are an interesting little thing,” he croons, leaning in toward me, tasting my scent. “What are you doing with this big ol’ hound dog here?”

I shrug. “Just enjoying watching him mark his territory.”

His eyes widen at the realization that I recognize his second nature, but Zack’s sharp voice cuts in before he can comment.

“And you’re way outside of yours, Asa,” Zack says.

Asa locks his eyes on Zack. “You have something of mine. I came to collect.” He speaks the words softly, but underneath the velvet is steel.

I smile at Zack. “Isn’t this where you do that growly thing and tell him Sarah’s yours and he can’t have her?”

Zack shakes his head at me. “Sarah isn’t anyone’s. She’s free to choose who she wants.” His gaze snaps back to Asa. “And she didn’t choose you.”

“Sarah swore fealty to the pack, my pack. You left her. She’s not your mate. You have no claim on her, boy. None. As Alpha, if I want her, she’s mine. It’s my right to take whatever female I fucking please. I earned it fair and square.”

“Bullshit! The pack Sarah pledged her fealty to was a different one altogether and you damn well know it.”

“Tell you what. We can settle the matter the old-fashioned way. If you win, you keep Sarah. If I win, I get both Sarah and this one.” He turns his head to look at me. “She isn’t Were. But I can easily fix that.”

Zack leans forward. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the reason I didn’t challenge you before was because I figured I wouldn’t win. I walked away because what you’re offering isn’t what I want. It’s not what Sarah wants. There are plenty of women in that pack who would jump at the chance to be your mate. Sarah isn’t one of them.”

Asa’s grin is menacing. “Yeah, but none of them looked quite so good leashed and collared, riding my cock.”

I reach out for Zack’s hand, but I’m too late, too slow. He’s already risen, squaring off against Asa. The two men, equal in height, are toe-to-toe.

“Let’s take it down a notch. Shall we, gentlemen?”

A new voice, quiet yet commanding, startles us all.

Seamus.

Appearing out of nowhere.

“Someone forgot to check in with the local pack master,” he says, stepping between the two men. “Bad form, Mr. Wade. I’d say it’s a darned good thing we decided to follow you.”

Zack takes a step back while Asa drinks in the unassuming Seamus with his freckles, red hair, and glasses.

“Well, Opie, be sure to apologize to him for me,” Asa growls, chest puffed out, arms crossed.

Seamus stands his ground, smiling up at the bigger man. “The name’s Seamus, and you can tell me how sorry you are yourself.”

“You?” Asa bursts into laughter. “You and what army?”

“This isn’t your fight, Seamus,” Zack says, his voice a growl. “Sarah and I aren’t your problem.”

His words do no good. Instead of backing down, Seamus ignores Zack and takes a step closer to Asa. “Don’t push your luck, Mr. Wade. I have men right outside, should it prove necessary.” As if responding to some subliminal signal, a dozen or so Weres are suddenly visible through the window. The men stand just to the left of the door. They could be office workers waiting to get in line
for a table, but their fixed stare at Asa Wade makes their real purpose clear.

“You are in my territory, Mr. Wade,” Seamus continues. “You have not shown me even the commonest of courtesies by announcing your presence. I could be persuaded to overlook these transgressions, but only if you leave my territory. Tonight.”

Asa scans the faces outside. He may be many things, but stupid isn’t one of them. Twelve to one is not good odds. “I will go,” he says simply. “But you can bet this isn’t the last you’ll hear from me. You want to play the protocol card? Then, by all means, let’s do that. Rules have been broken. Sarah is mine. Armstrong took her away from me. I have a right to exact justice.”

Seamus nods. “Yes, you do. And I’ll grant you a measure of justice equal to the measure of respect I received. Zack, apologize to Asa for your civil disobedience of his most uncivilized practices.”

Zack looks as if he’s going to resist, but Seamus nails him with a look that conveys this isn’t up for negotiation. “Sarah told me everything. This is what she wants, what’s necessary. It’s time to move on and that won’t be accomplished by shedding more blood.”

Grudgingly, Zack gives in. “I apologize.”

“Apology accepted,” Asa says, grinning. “I will collect Sarah and be on my way.”

“No.” Seamus utters the one word with finality.

“No?” Asa’s face reddens. “You want to avoid bloodshed? I’d be real careful about denying me what is mine.”

“This is not up for negotiation,” Seamus says. “You mistreated Sarah. She came here because she was afraid of you. She is under my protection now. You’re a long
way from home, Mr. Wade. If you try to force her to leave, you’ll answer to me. More importantly, you’ll answer to my pack. And, I should warn you, they’re fiercely loyal.” He glances once again toward the window and nods. Three men, three big men, separate from the group and step toward the door. “These men will see you to the airport.”

Asa wants to resist, to fight. But he knows he’s beaten. His glare telegraphs the message:
You win. For now
. He strides stiffly out of the door without a backward glance and is swallowed up as Seamus’ men surround him and march him off.

I grin up at Seamus. “You are full of surprises.”

Zack is still watching through the window. When Asa is no longer in sight, he swivels around to face Seamus. “Thanks for the heads-up, man.”

“Heads-up?” I ask, slipping my Glock back into its holster.

Zack waves Candy over. “The call I received a few minutes ago was from Seamus. Apparently Wade tailed us from the office here. Sounds like he spent much of the morning staking out the house hoping to find Sarah, and when that didn’t work, he started to follow us.”

“Where is Sarah?” I ask.

Seamus plops himself into Asa’s vacated chair and orders a Guinness. “Sarah’s safe at the Manchester Grand. We got her out before Wade arrived at Zack’s place. After about four hours of sitting on his ass in his car, Wade broke into the house. He found nothing of Sarah’s. We made sure of that. So, he decided to move on to Zack himself. He parked in the lot across the street from your building. You two showed up shortly after he arrived.”

“How long have you been tailing him?” Zack asks.

“Someone alerted us to his presence last night. I’m not sure how long he’s been in town.” Seamus takes a sip of his beer, then settles back in the chair. He looks at me. “We’ve got something serious to discuss, Emma. It involves Asa Wade and Kallistos Kouros.”

Zack groans. “What has the Soulless Sovereign done now?”

I ignore Zack’s gibe. “We’re listening.”

Seamus takes another pull from the frosty mug. “Mother’s milk,” he sighs.

“Seamus.” I lean toward him. “What about Kallistos?”

He sits up straighter, places the mug on the table. “Asa didn’t travel here by himself.”

“Meaning?”

“He accompanied Philippe Lamont, the vampires’ Southern King.”

“The Southern King is in San Diego?” Zack sounds not only surprised but concerned. He looks at me. “Remember a few months back when I told you the Southern King was against the Blood Emporiums? That it was rumored he was behind the trouble in New Mexico and Arizona? The torched Emporiums? The tortured patrons?”